The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Private Equity: Success and Failure in Buyout Land

by Sebastien Canderle

Financial risk is a frequently observed and reported structural issue in leveraged buyouts. Other risks are equally prevalent but behavioural or institutional by nature. Factors like irrational decision-making, market manipulation and the lack of proper regulatory oversight are prominent indicators behind private equity’s most troubling side effects. Drawing on a wide range of case histories and references like the buyouts of Bhs, Hilton, TIM Hellas, Toys “R” Us and Univision, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Private Equity investigates the industry’s drivers of success and failure. The book aims to emphasize what differentiates good transactions and fund managers from the bad and truly ugly ones. Sebastien Canderle delivers a well-researched, engaging and illuminating account of the notoriously secretive money machine of private equity and volunteers pertinent prescriptions for change.

356 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2018

Reviews

[Alexander Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of well written case studies which touch upon some of the factors at play in private equity. I wish it would have gone into more depth into the mechanics of some of the transactions. If you're interested in this topic, many of the HBS cases can be found online and cover more scenarios. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/cases/